Tory former cabinet minister Grant Shapps has joined a growing revolt against Liz Truss’s tax plans, branding her decision to scrap the 45p top rate as “politically tin-eared”. Mr Shapps, who was transport secretary under Boris Johnson, accused the Prime Minister and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng of putting “all their chips on red” in the hope that cutting taxes will deliver growth.
His fellow ex-cabinet minister Michael Gove had earlier said Ms Truss’s plans to pay for vast tax cuts with increased borrowing were “not Conservative” as he threatened to vote against the mini-budget. The veteran of government, who is influential in the Tory party, said he was “profoundly” concerned about the £45 billion of tax cuts, particularly the abolition of the top income tax rate.
Tory chairman Jake Berry warned that any rebels during a Commons vote on the plans would be turfed out of the parliamentary party, intensifying a row as the Conservative conference began in Birmingham. Writing in The Times, Mr Shapps said that while he strongly believed in lower taxes, it was not the time for “big giveaways to those who need them least”.
